High Specific Gravity after Primary Fermentation....?

[YooperBrewer]

I've brewed about a dozen 5-gallon batches (always with Extract) over the last few years. That said, it's been a about three years since doing a homebrew. I just transferred a "pumped up" Session IPA from the primary to the secondary. Boil Day was uneventful, and visible fermentation started about 36 hours later in the primary -- which continued for about four days. Now it's fourteen days after "Boil Day", and I was surprised to see my hydrometer reading of 1.032 today (the OG was 1.064). Shouldn't have been less than 1.010?

Help me troubleshoot please. Bad reading? I transferred the beer from the spigot at the bottom of the primary bucket to the secondary carboy using a tube (via gravity). I took my sample before hooking up my tubing, so it was from the very bottom of the bucket. Does the alcohol rise to the top during fermentation? Another tidbit of info, I bought the supplies a few months ago -- and noticed the extract was past the expiration date at the time of purchase by a few months. Anyone with experience using out-of-date extract?

 

[Rwilts]

You will need to provide more detail on the recipe, especially the yeast, 1.064 may have been too high for some yeast to get down to your anticipated FG.

Interested in why you transfer to secondary, I am not sure many still do this ,I know that getting the beer of the trub used to be very popular. Personally I transfer only into a bottling bucket on bottling day.

 

[An Ankoù]

What does it taste like: good, bad or indifferent? More importantly, how sweet does it taste?

 

[YooperBrewer]

You will need to provide more detail on the recipe, especially the yeast, 1.064 may have been too high for some yeast to get down to your anticipated FG.

Interested in why you transfer to secondary, I am not sure many still do this ,I know that getting the beer of the trub used to be very popular. Personally I transfer only into a bottling bucket on bottling day.

Fermentis Safale US-05 Yeast (11.5 g). Not expired.

 

[Rwilts]

What was the volume of wort and what temp were you fermenting at?

 

[YooperBrewer]

Full disclosure, the recipe was based on "Kama Citra Session IPA". Briess CBW® Golden Light Extract ( 2 x 3.3 lb), Briess CBW® Pale Ale DME (3 lb), and of course various hop additions. It was a five-gallon batch, and fermented at approx 68 degrees.

 

[Rwilts]

Well if you can limit risk trying another reading.. It does sound like a stuck fermentation

 

[YeastFace]

Did you degas the sample?

 

[MashBag]

What does it taste like: good, bad or indifferent? More importantly, how sweet does it taste?

What he said

How sweet does it taste?

It won't kill you or the beer to taste it. And that's the difference between bad read and stuck or finished.

I mention finished, because I haven't checked this out, but
9.6lb is in 5 US gallons
Equals 4.35 kilograms in 18.93 litres is getting on (that's wine territory).
Was you og correct?
As previously mentioned was that too much for the yeast?

Another thought. Did you aerate the yeast?

 

[An Ankoù]

Was you og correct?
As previously mentioned was that too much for the yeast?

I calculate around 1068 so 1064 isn't unreasonable.

 

[YooperBrewer]

Full disclosure, the recipe was based on "Kama Citra Session IPA". Briess CBW® Golden Light Extract ( 2 x 3.3 lb), Briess CBW® Pale Ale DME (3 lb), and of course various hop additions. It was a five-gallon batch, and fermented at approx 68 degrees.

OK. I pulled another sample and the SG dropped by almost a point (today 1.023 vs yesterday's 1.032). As far as the taste -- it's kinda like a flat, bitter beer. Not really sweet.

 

[Stu]

That sounds quite reasonable. We're talking about 5.38% with those numbers.

A quick look on the Q&A of one of the sellers, they suggested that it should finish at 5%.

It also said it should start at 1.050.
Frankly, one of the things I've found recently is that my hydrometer isn't that accurate. I've just tried another one on one of my beers and got a completely different reading.

Which is why I trust the iSpindel more. I calibrated it with carefully measured sugar solution.

I had an Imperial Stout which had 6.5kg of amber malt alone. Yet my hydrometer said after boiling it was 1.064. There's no way I'm getting an 8%+ stout out of 1.064.

As it turned out, the iSpindel said it was 1.092 and it's slowed down now to 1.021. Giving me 9.32%, which was what I expected. I've just used a different hydrometer and it's concurring at 1.021. So the initial reading was obviously bobbins.

 

[MashBag]

As far as the taste -- it's kinda like a flat, bitter beer. Not really sweet.

Sounds like it is finished/finishing then.

 

[YooperBrewer]

Sounds like it is finished/finishing then.

You're right.....For-What-It's-Worth (FWIW), I just witnessed a small burp from the Airlock -- 48 hours in the Secondary.

First time I've made this recipe -- No FG found. It did state "1.050 Ready: 6 Weeks. 2 Weeks Primary, 2 Weeks Secondary, 2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning.

 

[JockyBrewer]

Frankly, one of the things I've found recently is that my hydrometer isn't that accurate. I've just tried another one on one of my beers and got a completely different reading.

Which is why I trust the iSpindel more. I calibrated it with carefully measured sugar solution.

The Stevenson Reeve branded hydrometers seem to be more accurate than the Alla branded ones. I once purchased two Alla hydrometers, put them both in the same wort and found they were 6 points apart in reading. Stevenson Reeve ones seem to be closer - 2-3 points apart.

Ultimately it's all relative though - as long as you're using the same device to measure start and final gravity you should be fine.

The iSpindel I've found to be interesting. When I tested mine in sugar water it was quite accurate, but in wort it seems to be a bit more hit and miss, being affected by touching the side of the fermenter, or krausen etc. I'm happy to use it anyway just to measure fermentation progress, but I won't use it as an actual read of starting or final gravity.

 

[Stu]

The Stevenson Reeve branded hydrometers seem to be more accurate than the Alla branded ones. I once purchased two Alla hydrometers, put them both in the same wort and found they were 6 points apart in reading. Stevenson Reeve ones seem to be closer - 2-3 points apart.

Ultimately it's all relative though - as long as you're using the same device to measure start and final gravity you should be fine.

The iSpindel I've found to be interesting. When I tested mine in sugar water it was quite accurate, but in wort it seems to be a bit more hit and miss, being affected by touching the side of the fermenter, or krausen etc. I'm happy to use it anyway just to measure fermentation progress, but I won't use it as an actual read of starting or final gravity.

Quite agree. I do try and ensure at least when I put it in, it's not touching the side.
Mine suddenly went from 1.010 to 1.170 once. Gave it a shake, and it went back down again.

It's just when I use 7.5kg of malt, do a 90 minute mash, an hour sparge and rinse, and then a 2 hour boil with 25 litres of water, I'd expect to see a higher OG than 1.064.